America's soft power got a lot tastier when the Department of State launched its Diplomatic Culinary Partnership in 2012. Created through a collaboration with JBF, the initiative elevates the role of culinary engagement in America’s formal and public diplomacy efforts, and enlists chefs from across the country to serve as resources to the Department when engaging foreign audiences.

One of the many facets of our ongoing partnership with the State Department, the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is a professional exchange program that advances U.S. foreign policy goals by increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries. One of IVLP's current projects is an exchange with six participants from the Middle East and North Africa, who are exploring the impact of... Read more >

By now you've probably heard about our exciting collaboration with the State Department—the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership! To mark the launch of the program and its attendant American Chef Corps (a network of chefs from across the country who have agreed to serve as diplomatic resources), we headed down to Washington, D.C., on Friday for an event at the U.S. Department of State headquarters. While we were there, we were treated to this warm message from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

Stay tuned for some more highlights from Friday's gathering. Read the official press release about the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership here.

From Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden to the recent release of her husband’s home-brew recipe, it’s clear that food has become a major player in the capital. And this week, food is spreading from the White House to the State Department, where it will become a diplomatic instrument under a new initiative known as the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership. The program, which was developed in a partnership with JBF, creates the American Chef Corps, a group of chefs who will act as food-focused statesmen, dispatched around the globe to promote American cuisine and ingredients. "By showcasing the best of American cuisine and creativity, we can show our guests a bit about ourselves," says United States chief of protocol Capricia Penavic Marshall. "Likewise, by incorporating elements of our visitor's culture, we can demonstrate respect and a desire to connect and engage. The connections formed over a shared meal can develop into some of the strongest bonds. Food has the unique ability to unite and energize."